Knockdown building



Aug. 13. 1935. c. B. MATHENY KNOCKDOWN BUILDING Filed April 11, 1935 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. CHARLES .M HENY BY AITTORNEY Aug. 13, 1935. C.B. MATHENY- KNOCKDOWN BUILDING Filed April 11, 1933 INVENTOR.CHARLESB.MA ENY 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY M is I/z 7 -W AZ 8 v abuilding of the character described in which Patented Aug. 13, 1935UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 10 Claims.

The invention relates to small building's'of light construction, havingthe parts so designed as to permit quick assembly for erection of thebuilding or ready detachment foreffecting dismantling thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide a builds ing of the characterdescribed arranged to be made up'practically exclusively of framemembers and panels which are designed for interpositloning andinterlocking with each other in such manner that both the frame membersand panels may be made of extremely thin and light material and yet atthe same time the building will be strong and durable when erected, maybe quickly taken down or put together, does not require nails andsimilar fastening means in the erection thereof, and when taken down allthe parts thereof may be quickly assembled together in small compactbundles and crated for easy handling and transportation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a building of thecharacter described in which the means for attaching the various membersthereof together are formed as a part of such members so that there willbe no danger of such means being lost or detached during erection ordismantling. of the structure or while the members are in course oftransportation.

A further object of the invention is to provide the covering panels forthe walls and roof are so arranged and combined with the frame membersthatthe use of wall plates for effecting the longitudinal tie of thevertical frame members may be eliminated without impairing the rigidityof the structure.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a building of thecharacter described in which will be provided like frame sections eachof which has its parts held together independently of the holdingmeansand parts of the other sections, and in which the various parts in eachof such sections are secured together with a minimum of fastening meansand with as many of the parts as possible secured together in eachsection by a common fastening means.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich,- with the foregoing. will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in thedrawings accompanying and,

forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, thatvariations in the showing made by the said drawings and description may'be adopted within thescope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawings:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of an assembled building constructed inaccordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical .sectional view of a side wall and roof of theerected building with portions removed to reduce the size of the figure.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of an end wall and adjacent roofportion of the building with parts removed.

Figures 4 and 5 are fragmentary horizontal sectional views of wallportions located at intermediate studs of the frame, the planes of thesections being indicated by the linesl-l and 5-5 respectively, in Figurel.

Figures 6 and 17 are fragmentary-views similar to Figures 4 and 5, butshowing the assembly of parts at the corners of the buildings, theplanes of the sections being shown by the lines 6--6 and l'I--l1 inFigure 1.

Figure 7 is an isometric view of the frame members in erected position.

Figures 8 and 9 are fragmentary isometric views of the frame members atthe juncture of a rafter, collar beam, and stud, the former figureshowing the parts operatively associated while the latter shows theparts separated.

Figure 10 is an isometric view of the cave end portion of one of theintermediate rafters.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary isometric view of the frame members at thejuncture of an intermediate stud, a floor joist and floor sill, theparts being shown in "separated relation.

Figure 12 is an isometric view of a portion of a water sill and theportion of a studarranged to be engaged thereby. a

Figure 13 is an isometric view of co-fitting-fioor joist portions showndisengaged.

Figure 14 is an isometricvlew of the juncture portions of floor'andcorner sills.

Figure 15 is a fragmentary'isometric view of the frame members at thejuncture of opposing rafters and the roof ridge. I

Figure 16 is a fragmentary vertical "sectional view of the roof in frontof one of the gables.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the building is arrangedto be composed of frame members, panels for the walls, the roof and thefloor, and sash units, all of which are formed practically entirely ofwood and designed to be secured together in the erection of the buildingas important elements in the structural composition thereof; The framemembers, which are being considered separate of any of the parts of thepanels and units partaking of the nature of the shape of the head 9 andshank portion ID of the stud, and then plug up the slot after the studstructural components of tha building, may be conveniently divided intofloor members, wall members, and'roof members.

vThe floor members include longitudinal and lateral sills 2 and 3respectively, which are arranged to be guided for proper positioning andsecured together, preferably with an end face 4 of the longitudinalsabutting a side of the laterals, by means of screw threaded studs 6which are anchored in the longitudinals and project from the faces 4thereof whereby they may extend through perforations I in the lateralsand be engaged by nuts 8. An effective way of anchoring the studs in thelongitudinals is to slot the side of the latter in conformity withmentary notches l4 so that all the joints may be assembled in coplanarrelation. Also, as will be clear from Figure 11, the inner side of thefloor sills are rabbeted for the reception of the ends of the joists.Proper positioning and retention of the joints between the sills isafforded by means of s'tuds l6 which are similar to the'studs 6 anddesigned for insertion in openings I! in the sills.

As a flooring for'thebuilding there is preferably provided relativelylarge panels or sections $8 of plywood, that is thin sheets of woodsecured together in laminated form, and such panels are laid directlyupon joists from sill to sill. A rabbet I9 is provided at the top of theinner edge of the sills of a depth equal to the thickness of the panelsso that the latter will be fitted snugly in position.

The frame members for the walls of the building include corner posts 2!and intermediate posts 22 which are both arranged for positioning on thefloor sills. The top of the sills is formed I with notches 23 for thereception of the lower,

ends of the intermediate posts, and the latter are provided at such endswith dowel pins 24 arranged to seat in openings 26 in the notchedportion of the sills. Preferably theends of the posts are strengthenedwith bands 21. For retaining the corner posts in position, the ends ofthe lateral floor sills are rabbeted and formed with openings similar tothe openings 26 for the reception of pins on the posts 2| correspondingto those on the intermediate posts, it being noted that the end faces ofthe longitudinal floor sills cooperate with the rabbeted portion of thelateral sills in holding the corner posts in position.

In the wall frame of the building of my invention, in the preferredembodiment, I arrange for the entire omission of the usual cross bracesand of the plate at the longitudinal juncture of the wall frame and roofframe members, and the only direct longitudinal frame tying elementemployed, excepting the floor sills, is a water table 28 which isarranged to extend practically completely around the building. The watertable is arranged for mounting on the posts and the latter areaccordingly provided with notches 29 disposed on the sides lyingoutermost when the frame is erected, and in which the. rear portion orthe table is arranged to fit. Preferably the table is arranged to bepositioned about midway of the height of the posts and is deleted onlybetween the posts 22' defining the opening or doorway 3! to the interiorof the building. Securing of the water table to the posts may beeffected by means of bolts 32, one bolt being preferably 'used for eachpost whereby a rigid tie-up will be provided.

As parts of the roof frame members may be included ceiling beams 33,rafters 34, and a ridge pole 36. Each ceiling beam, as will be clearfrom Figure 7, is designed for positioning on a pair of posts atopposite sides of .the structure so as to extend across the latterinparallel relation to the lateral joists, the latter, as will also beclear from said figure, having been likewise positioned to extend acrossthe structure from one post to the other. Arranged for support on theend portions of thecollar beams are pairs of the rafters 34, each pairbeing designed for abutment at their inner ends with each other and withthe ridge pole36. The latter is formed with notches 31 in which theinner ends of rafters may be seated. At the corner posts, the outer endsof the rafters are preferably coterminous with adjacent ends of thecollar beams, while at the intermediate posts the outer ends of therafters 34 are extended beyond the beams. In the instance of the rafters34" a. notch 38 is formed in each of them to accommodate the ends of thebeams.

It will be noted that the ends of the rafters and collar beams arepositionable in superposed relation over the posts, and by reasonthereof a single means may be utilized for holding the three members inposition together. In accordance with the foregoing the dowel pin 39 inthe top of each post is made long enough to permit its simultaneousextension through a hole 4| in the beam and insertion in an opening 42in the rafter. Locking of the three members in position may be effected,as shown in Figure 2, by means of a hook 43 pivotally carried by therafter and designed to engage a bolt 44 fixed relative to the post. Theridge is of a length permitting its extension beyond the rafters overthe corner posts and it is arranged to be supported on gable panels 46designed for positioning against the outer side of.the last namedrafters and the associated beams, the panels 46 as shown in Figure 16being notched at their upper edge to receive the pole. Securing of thepanels in position is afforded by means of bolts 41 which are arrangedto extend through the panels and associated rafters and through eaverafters 48 which are adapted for positioning at the ends of the ridgepole in transverse alignment with the other rafters. A spacer 49 isinterposed between the corner and eave rafters so as to retain the panelagainst the former, the bolt 4! being designed to pass through thespacer by way of an opening 5!. The gable panels may also be boltedtothe beams, and with the panels thus incorporated as part of the meansfor retaining the roof members together, a most rigid and well knitstructure will be provided.

As a covering for the roof I arrange to use sheets 52 of plywood, asheet being as here shown provided for covering the space between therafters intermediate and a sheet being provided for covering each ofthespaces between the intermediate rafters and the eave rafters. The sheetsare held in position along the intermediate rafters by opposed rabbetedbattens 53 which are secured to the rafters by bolts 54, and the sheetsare held at the eave rafters by corner battens 56 designed to be securedin place by bolts 51. Along the ridge pole is secured by means of bolts58 a double rabbeted batten 59 between which and may escape thereto.

'for clamping the unit 66 downwardly away from the shank of the bolt sothat when the head is drawn against the battens the outer edge portionsof the latter will be forcibly pressed against the sheets to therebyinsure a tightly sealed joint therewith. Preferably, wing nuts 84 areprovided onthe bolts for readily securing them in position. Should it bedesired to more firmly. lock the corner battens in place, the bolts 41may be extended as indicated in Figure 3 so as to includesuch battenswithin the clamped area. An important feature is the provision in thetop surface of the rafters, of

longitudinal drain grooves 65 to which the side 1 edges of the sheetsare arranged to extend, the

positioning of the grooves beingsuch that the holesfor the batten boltswill be out of communication with the grooves and thus no moisture Withthe foregoing construction, should any moisture find its way between thesheets' and the battens, it will drain along the rafter to the outerend. thereof.

For covering. the walls ofthe structure there is provided for a portionthereof a plurality of sash units 66, 61 and-58. The units 66, as willbe clear from Figure. 1, are designed for positioning atthe longer sidesof the building and are each preferably formed as a single member of awidth equal to the full length of such sides and of a depth equal to thedistance between the rafter table and the portion of the. upper surfaceof the rafters intersected by the vertical plane defined by the outersides of the posts. The unit 66 is designed to rest on the table and hasits upper edge slotted to accommodate the extended portions of theintermediate rafters and be enabled to-abut against the roof sheets. Inorder to secure a rigid interflt with the rafters and posts, the notch38 in the rafters is enlarged to permit the unit to be inserted andfitted in such notch and retained against the posts. Bolts 44 may beused directly to the posts, and when so secured the units will not onlyserve as a covering for the structure, but it will provide an effectivereenforcing and knitting element and safely permit the elimination oiplate lines. The

units 61 and 68v for the front and rear of the building are arranged toextend from the water table to the gable panels and designed forattachment to the posts in a manner similar to that of the unit 66, itbeing noted however that while the unit 68 for the rear of the buildingis formed of one piece and arranged to extend from side to side of thebuilding, the unit 61 is formed in two sections one at each side of thedoorway;

For the portion of the walls below the water table I prefer to useplywood sheets ll similar to the sheets utilized for the roof. Thesheets H are arranged to be held in place by corner and intermediatebattens l2 and 13 respectively, de-

signed to be bolted to the posts and defining grooves 1.4 and I5 for thereception of the side edges of the sheets. The under side of the watertable is grooved for the reception of the upper edge of the sheets, andwhen the sheets are operatively inserted in the grooves the lower edgeof the sheets may be covered with a batten ll ar-' ranged to be held inplace by nuts I! engageable with the threaded ends of the studs in thefloor sills.

It may be noted that the sash units can be provided with screenedopenings II as here shown, or the openings may be covered with glass orplywood plates if desired. Furthermore at any time the weather permitsany of the roof panels may partially or wholly be withdrawn to permitany desired ventilation and openness It will now be evident with thevarious parts constructed and arranged for assembly in the mannerdescribed, a building with a sturdy structure and full protectivecovering may be erected by an unskilled person in an hour or so, andsince practically all the parts are straight and fiat the readydismantling of the building and the assembling of the parts in smallcompact bundles for storage and transportation is easy ofaccomplishment. Itis also to be noted that there are no nails used inthe erection, and all that is necessary for securing all the parts to,-getheror for taking them down is a single wrench.

I claim:

1. In a buildingof the character described, a plurality of spaced postsdefining the side and end walls of the building frame and havinghorizontally aligned notches in the outer side thereof, a water tableremovably mounted and secured in said notches and including one piecemembers for simultaneously .and unitarily engaging and holding the postsdefining each side and an end wall respectively, and wooden sash unitssecured in superposed relation on said table and extending togethertherewith along as a one piece unit for substantiallythe full length ofthe adjoining I extending together with said table along the walls r asaforesaid, and sheets removably positioned below said table andextending from adjacent the bottom of the posts to engage within thelower groove of the table.

3. In a building of the character described,

"floor frame members removably set together, a

plurality of spaced vertical posts removably mounted on said members anddefining side and end walls of the building frame, ceiling joistsextending across the building from the top of the posts,'a ridge pole,rafters supported at their outer ends on the joists and extendinginwardly tosaid pole, means to removably hold together associated setsof posts, joists, and rafters, and a water table removably fixed to theposts and extending substantially continuously from along one wall ofthe building onto and along the adjoining wall, said water tabletogether with said floor members and ridge pole constituting the soleparts of the building frame providing'for the longitudinal tie-up of theremainder of the frameparts.

4. In' a building. of the character described, floor frame membersremovably set together, a

plurality of spaced vertical posts removably mounted on said members anddefining the side and end walls of the building frame, ceiling joistsextending across the building from the top of the posts, a ridge poleextending across the joists in spaced superposed relation, raftersextending from on top of the ends of the joists to each other and to thepole, a pair of one piece gable panels removably secured to the joistsand provided centrally at the, top thereof with a groove arranged tosocket and support the pole adjacent the ends thereof, and-means toremovably hold together associated joists, posts and rafters.

5. In a building of the character described, floor frame membersremovably set together, a plurality of spaced vertical posts removablymounted on said members and defining the side and end walls of thebuilding frame, ceiling joists extending across the building from thetop of the posts, a ridge pole extending across the joists in spacedsuperposed relation, rafters extending from on top of the ends of thejoists to each other and to the pole, a pair of one piece gable panelsremovably secured to the joists and arranged to support the poleadjacent the ends thereof, means to removably hold together associatedjoists, posts and rafters, a horizontally disposed water table extendingaround the frame and including one piece members for simultaneously andunitarily engaging and holding the posts defining each of said side andan end wall respectively and provided with a groove along the uppersides thereof, sash frames fitted in said grooves and extending togetherwith said table for substantially the enthe length thereof along saidwalls, and means securing said sash frames to said, posts and betweenthe joists and rafters. V

6. Ina building of the character described, a

plurality of spaced vertical posts defining frame walls, ceiling joistsextending across the building from the top of the posts, raftersoverlapping the joists at the outer ends and provided with notchesengaging over'the ends of said joists, a horizontally disposed watertable secured to the posts and extending substantially for the length ofa wall, and a sash frame interposed between said table and rafters andfitting within said notches for unitary clamping with said joists andposts and rafters.

'7. In a building of the character described, a plurality of spacedvertical posts forming frame walls, ceiling joists extending across thebuilding from on top of the posts, rafters resting on the ends of thejoists and having notches within which said ends are disposed, anoutside wall member extending in front of said posts and joists andfitting in said notches with one side in engagement for unitary clampingwith said posts and the end of the joists, and means to releasably holdtogether an associated set of posts, joists, and rafters.

8. In a building of the character described, rafters arranged intransversely aligned relation, a T sectioned rabbeted batten mounted oneach of the rafters defining therewith grooves extending longitudinallyat the sides of the rafters, panels for covering the spaces between therafters arranged with their side edges slidably disposed in saidgrooves, and bolts connecting said battens and rafters for clamping saidpanels in adjustable position in the grooves.

9. In a building of the character described, a ridge pole, transverselyaligned rafters extending obliquely thereto each having a longitudinallyextending groove in a top surface thereof, T section battens associatedwith the rafters defining therewith longitudinally transversely extending grooves at the opposing sides of adjacent rafters andcommunicating with said first grooves, panels for covering the spacebetween said rafters engaged in said second mentioned grooves and withthe edges of the panels extending substanbeing provided with holesextending substantially I vertically therethrough and spacedtransversely of said grooves and out of communication therewith, andmeans to secure the battens and rafters together and clamping saidpanels and having portions extending through said holes.

10. In a knock down building arranged for ready assembling anddismembering, a skeleton frame comprising, horizontal fioor sills, postsvertically mounted against transverse displacement at their lower endson said sills and defining the sides and ends of the building, and meansfor holding the posts erect preparatory to and facilitating the additionof other building members comprising a water table extending around thebuilding and including one piece members for simultaneously andunitarily engaging and holding the posts defining each of said sides andan end respectively of the building.

tially to the first mentioned grooves, said rafters

